Forestry Data Access with R

Author: Marijana Andabaka

Photo by Jan Van Bizar: https://www.pexels.com/photo/trees-reflection-in-water-20532246/
Photo by Jan Van Bizar: https://www.pexels.com/photo/trees-reflection-in-water-20532246/


This repository contains R functions for accessing and processing forestry and environmental data, designed to streamline research workflows. These methods transform data acquisition from a manual, time-consuming process into an efficient, automated workflow.

Overview

Forest researchers often spend excessive time navigating complex websites, downloading individual files, and converting different formats before they can begin analysis. This repository offers streamlined R functions that automate these processes, allowing researchers to access quality data in minutes rather than months.

Methods Included

1. Downloading Historical Climate Data from CRU

Function: download_cru_climate()

Access high-resolution (0.5° × 0.5°) global climate data from the Climatic Research Unit (CRU) at the University of East Anglia, covering over a century of observations since 1901.

2. Retrieving Species Occurrence Data from GBIF

Function: download_tree_occurrences()

Connect to the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) to retrieve georeferenced species occurrence data, with options to filter by country and forest habitats.

3. Accessing NASA MODIS Vegetation Indices

Function: download_modis_forest_data()

Download vegetation index data (EVI/NDVI) from NASA’s MODIS satellite sensors for any location on Earth, ideal for monitoring forest health and productivity.

4. Downloading FAO Forestry Production and Trade Data

Function: download_forestry_data()

Access the comprehensive FAO Forestry Production and Trade database, containing standardized statistics on forest products from countries worldwide since 1961.

5. Accessing European Forest Fire Data from EFFIS

Function: process_effis_fires()

Process data from the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), providing detailed information on fire events, including affected vegetation types.

Installation

Clone this repository

Install required packages

source(“install_helper.R”)
install_packages()

Source the functions

source(“cru_climate_data.R”)
source(“gbif_species_data.R”)
source(“modis_vegetation_data.R”)
source(“fao_forestry_data.R”)
source(“effis_fire_data.R”)

Usage Examples

Download precipitation data from CRU

precip_file <- download_cru_climate(“pre”)

Get occurrence data for European beech in Croatia

beech_data <- download_tree_occurrences(“Fagus sylvatica”,
country = “HR”)

Download vegetation index data for a forest site

site_evi <- download_modis_forest_data(lat = 45.56628, lon = 14.52124,
start_date = “2018-01-01”,
end_date = “2023-01-01”)

Access FAO forestry production data

forestry_data <- download_forestry_data()
croatia_data <- subset(forestry_data, Area == “Croatia”)

Process European forest fire data

Note: Requires manual download from EFFIS first
croatia_fires <- process_effis_fires( shape_file_path = “path/to/effis_layer/modis.ba.poly.shp”,
country_code = “HR”,
start_date = “2000-01-01” )

Requirements

Licence

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Acknowledgments

Contributing

Contributions to improve these functions or add new data access methods are welcome. Please feel free to submit a pull request or open an issue to discuss potential improvements.

Contact

If you have questions about implementing these methods or need help with a specific forestry data challenge, feel free to reach out:

Email:
LinkedIn
Website